What Was the Initial Impact of Viking Migrations on the West?
- Submitted by: aherlian
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- Category: History: European
- Date Submitted: 02/20/2012 04:07 AM
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What was the initial impact of Viking migrations on the West?
History proclaims the Vikings to be a brutish and war like people. However over the course of this essay I hope to uncover how these supposed brutes influenced a western nation, in particular Ireland. They were a group of people who originated from modern day Denmark and Norway. In the eighth century, Scandinavia faced a lack of resources due to overpopulation as well as economic problems which caused Scandinavians to leave to the west because their ancient rights and privileges were trampled on. Some of these were the younger sons of estate owners who stood to inherit nothing from their fathers. Noblemen with little to lose began to gather together an assembly of warriors and go down along the coast raiding settlements. They sold their treasures and loot for money and this became their means of making a living. Following the invention of the longboat these groups were able to travel across the North Sea making it possible for them travel to the west and to attack places such as Britain, France and Ireland. Upon arrival to these lands they showed no respect for Christianity as they themselves were pagan. The first Viking attacks on these lands first took place during the eighth century causing changes to their country’s cultures.
Vikings first raided Ireland in 795 AD and the following years found a densely populated, literate, Christian society with a complex political system but no unified kingship. Ireland had a similar climate to Scandinavia as well as a similar landscape which made it easier for them to deal with the foreign country as well as to set up base camps. Vikings in Ireland were different to that of other areas of Viking settlements and raids which had more developed political systems than Ireland. The initial raiders were all from Norway. The first recorded raid was on Rathlin Island off the cost of Antrim. Here they displayed their distaste for Christianity by burning the local...
History proclaims the Vikings to be a brutish and war like people. However over the course of this essay I hope to uncover how these supposed brutes influenced a western nation, in particular Ireland. They were a group of people who originated from modern day Denmark and Norway. In the eighth century, Scandinavia faced a lack of resources due to overpopulation as well as economic problems which caused Scandinavians to leave to the west because their ancient rights and privileges were trampled on. Some of these were the younger sons of estate owners who stood to inherit nothing from their fathers. Noblemen with little to lose began to gather together an assembly of warriors and go down along the coast raiding settlements. They sold their treasures and loot for money and this became their means of making a living. Following the invention of the longboat these groups were able to travel across the North Sea making it possible for them travel to the west and to attack places such as Britain, France and Ireland. Upon arrival to these lands they showed no respect for Christianity as they themselves were pagan. The first Viking attacks on these lands first took place during the eighth century causing changes to their country’s cultures.
Vikings first raided Ireland in 795 AD and the following years found a densely populated, literate, Christian society with a complex political system but no unified kingship. Ireland had a similar climate to Scandinavia as well as a similar landscape which made it easier for them to deal with the foreign country as well as to set up base camps. Vikings in Ireland were different to that of other areas of Viking settlements and raids which had more developed political systems than Ireland. The initial raiders were all from Norway. The first recorded raid was on Rathlin Island off the cost of Antrim. Here they displayed their distaste for Christianity by burning the local...